It is known to provide arrangements for drying and heating shower stalls before taking a shower. Such devices are also employed by a user who would like to be able to dry himself of herself after the shower.
The typical prior art arrangement allows air to come in from the wall or from a duct on top of the shower. Such arrangements do not do an effective job and they are quite costly to install. Furthermore, maintenance of wall mounted and ceiling mounted installations is difficult and costly.
It is also known to direct heated air toward a person in a shower or other confined space to facilitate drying. Some of these devices have a tower-like configuration and define heated air exits (slots or holes) along the lengths thereof.
The following patent publications are believed to be representative of the current state of the prior art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,587, issued Mar. 31, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,421, issued Mar. 29, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,526, issued Dec. 17, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,161, issued Apr. 7, 1964, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,222, issued Aug. 11, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,424, issued Jan. 3, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,621, issued Apr. 22, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,595, issued Oct. 25, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,705, issued Aug. 15, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,179, issued Feb. 23, 1999 and European Patent Application No. 9230221301.
The invention disclosed and claimed herein differs from the prior art in a number of respects, differences which contribute to the improved operation and ease of maintenance of the system.